Dear Candidate:
The Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN) works to connect patients, survivors and other stakeholder groups with decision makers and the wider community to engage in discussion and to act on evidence-based best practices to alleviate the medical, emotional, financial and social costs of cancer and encourage research on ways to overcome barriers to optimal cancer care and follow-up for patients, caregivers and survivors in Canada.
Nearly 70,000 Québecers are diagnosed with cancer each year, with 22,600 deaths due to the disease. Cancer is the number one cause of death in Québec, ranking ahead of cardiovascular disease. Quebec consistently reports one of the highest overall cancer incidence rates per capita in the country. [1]
The Québec government has an important role to play in making sure that individuals diagnosed with cancer have access to timely diagnostics, treatments, and financial stability throughout their journey.
We invite you to respond to the following questions related to cancer care and healthcare in your province. Your responses will be circulated to cancer patients and survivors, posted on our website, disseminated to our 8,000 e-list subscribers, and on our social media.
Question 1: Evolving Regulatory Process for Innovation
With the advancements in diagnostics and precision medicine, we are now in an age of constant innovation. However, consistent access to these diagnostics and therapies are currently being stalled by out-of-date regulatory processes. [2] To effectively provide high quality and comprehensive cancer care to all who need it, we must ensure that approval pathways evolve with emerging evidence.
If elected, will your government prioritize the modernization of approval pathways to support the growth in innovative diagnostics and therapies?
Question 2: Self-referral for breast cancer screening starting at age 40
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Quebec. Yet Quebec remains the only province in Canada where average-risk women cannot access organized breast cancer screening before age 50.
Women in their 40s should have the opportunity to self-refer. Requiring them to first obtain a referral from a healthcare provider creates an unnecessary barrier, particularly for women who do not have a family doctor or timely access to primary care.
In most provinces and territories, women can now self-refer for breast cancer screening starting at age 40. Women in Quebec deserve the same access and the same chance to detect breast cancer early.
If elected, will your government commit to allowing women in Quebec to self-refer for breast cancer screening starting at age 40?
Question 3: Colorectal Cancer Screening
Quebec committed to establishing a province-wide colorectal cancer screening program more than 15 years ago. Yet today, a fully implemented, organized screening program remains unavailable, leaving Quebecers to navigate screening through different pathways depending on their access to primary care. While individuals without a family doctor can access screening through Clic Santé, they must still proactively identify themselves as eligible and seek out screening – an approach that does not fully address disparities in access or ensure that underscreened populations are reached.
At the same time, colorectal cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger Canadians, with rates of early-onset colorectal cancer rising among adults under 50.
If elected, what specific actions will your party take to finally implement a fully organized, province-wide colorectal cancer screening program in Quebec, ensure that screening is proactively offered to eligible residents – including those without a family doctor – and address the growing burden of colorectal cancer among younger adults?
Sincerely
Lindsay Timm
Executive Director, CCSN